EURO 1960 - the first European Football Championship

The first European Football Championship was in 1960. It was called UEFA European Nations Cup. "EURO" held every four years and supported by UEFA. The main final tournament was held in France. It was won by the Soviet Union, who beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in Paris after extra time. UEFA invited countries to enter the qualifying stages from 1958 onwards, with a view to a four-team event to be staged in France in 1960.
The teams would play home-and-away matches until the semi-finals; the final four teams would go to the final tournament, whose host was selected after the teams became known. Just 17 teams entered with some notable absences (West Germany and Italy among them).

Spain refused to travel to the Soviet Union and withdrew from the tournament, so the final four countries: USSR, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, to go with hosts France. In the semi-finals, the USSR made easy work of the Czechoslovaks in Marseille, beating them 3–0. The other match saw a multi-goal game as Yugoslavia came on top 5–4, coming back from a two-goal lead twice. Czechoslovakia beat the demoralized French 2–0 for third place.

In the final, Yugoslavia scored first, but the Soviet Union, inspired by their world acclaimed goalkeeper Lev Yashin, drew level in the 49th minute. After 90 minutes the score was 1–1, and Viktor Ponedelnik scored with seven minutes left in extra time to give the Soviets the inaugural European Championship.

Preliminary round EURO 1960.

1959-04-05 Republic of Ireland - Czechoslovakia 2-0, Dalymount Park, Dublin
Attendance: 37,500
Referee: Lucien Van Nuffel (Belgium)

Tuohy 22' Cantwell 42' (pen.)

1959-05-10 Czechoslovakia - Republic of Ireland 4-0, Tehelné pole, Bratislava
Attendance: 41,691
Referee: Joseph Barbéran (France)

Stacho 3' (pen.) Buberník 57' Pavlovič 67' Dolinský 75'

Czechoslovakia won 4–2 on aggregate.

Round of 16

First leg

1958-09-28 USSR - Hungary 3-1, Central Lenin Stadium, Moscow
Attendance: 100,572
Referee: Alfred Grill (Austria)

Ilyin 4' Metreveli 20' Ivanov 32' / Göröcs 84'

1958-10-01 France - Greece 7-1, Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 37,590
Referee: Gottfried Dienst (Switzerland)

Kopa 23' Fontaine 25' 85' Cisowski 29' 68' Vincent 61' 87' / Yfantis 48'

1958-11-02 Romania -Turkey 3-0, Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest
Attendance: 67,200
Referee: Gottfried Dienst (Switzerland)

Oaida 62' Constantin 77' Dinulescu 81'

1959-05-20 Norway- Austria 0-1, Ullevål, Oslo
Attendance: 27,566
Referee: Werner Bergmann (Germany)

- / Hof 32'

1959-05-31 Yugoslavia -Bulgaria 2-0, Stadion JNA, Belgrade
Attendance: 23,418
Referee: Mihai Popa (Romania)

Galić 1' Tasić 87'

1959-06-21 East Germany - Portugal 0 -2, Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion, Berlin
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Alois Obtulovic (Czechoslovakia)

- / Matateu 12' Coluna 67'

1959-06-28 Poland - Spain 2-4, Stadion Śląski, Chorzow
Attendance: 71,469
Referee: Angel L. Rodriguez Mendizabal (Spain)

Pol 34' Brychczy 62' / Suárez 40' 52' Di Stéfano 41' 56'

1959-09-23 19:00 Denmark - Czechoslovakia 2-2, Idrætsparken, Copenhagen
Attendance: 32,000
Referee: Johan Bronkhorst (Netherlands)

Pedersen 17' Hansen 19' /Kačáni 29' Dolinský 42'

Second leg

1958-12-03 15:00 Greece - France 1-1, Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, Athens
Attendance: 18,833
Referee: Vincenzo Orlandini (Italy)

Marche 85' (o.g.) / Bruey 71'

France won 8–2 on aggregate.

1959-04-26 Turkey - Romania 2-0, Beşiktaş İnönü Stadı, Istanbul
Attendance: 23,567
Referee: Borge Nedelkovski (Yugoslavia)

Küçükandonyadis 13' (pen.) 54'

Romania won 3–2 on aggregate.

1959-06-28 Portugal - East Germany 3-2, Estádio das Antas, Porto
Attendance: 19,124
Referee: Juan Garay Gardeazabal (Spain)

Coluna 45' 62' Cavém 68' / Vogt 47' Kohle 72'

Portugal won 5–2 on aggregate.

1959-09-23 Austria - Norway 5-2, Praterstadion, Vienna
Attendance: 34,989
Referee: Dimosthemis Stathatos (Greece)

Hof 2' 25' (pen.) Nemec 21' 73' Skerlan 60' / Ødegaard 19' 35'

Austria won 6–2 on aggregate.

1959-09-27 Hungary - USSR 0-1 Népstadion, Budapest
Attendance: 78,481
Referee: Jozef Kowal (Poland)

Voinov 58'

Soviet Union won 4–1 on aggregate.

1959-10-14 Spain – Poland 3-0, Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
Attendance: 62,070
Referee: Karoly Balla (Hungary)

Di Stéfano 30' Gensana 69' Gento 85'

Spain won 7–2 on aggregate.

1959-10-18 Czechoslovakia – Denmark 5-1, Stadión Za Lužánkami, Brno
Attendance: 31,217
Referee: Helmut Köhler (Germany)

Buberník 39' 56' Scherer 47' 86' Dolinský 63' / Kramer 33'

Czechoslovakia won 7–3 on aggregate.

1959-10-25 Bulgaria - Yugoslavia 1-1, Vasil Levski Stadium, Sofia
Attendance: 27,560
Referee: Kurt Tschenscher (Germany)

Diev 55' / Mujić 57'

Yugoslavia won 3–1 on aggregate.

Quarter-finals

Spain refused to travel to the Soviet Union for their quarter-final, so the USSR were awarded a walkover victory in EURO 1960.

First leg

1959-12-13 14:30 France - Austria 5-2, Stade Olympique de Colombes, Colombes
Attendance: 43,775
Referee: Manuel Martin Asensi (Spain)

Fontaine 6' 18' 70' Vincent 38' 82' / Horak 40' Pichler 65'

1960-05-08 Portugal – Yugoslavia 2-1, Estádio Nacional, Oeiras
Attendance: 39,978
Referee: Joseph Barbéran (France)

Santana 30' Matateu 70' / Kostić 81'

1960-05-22 Romania – Czechoslovakia, Stadionul 23 August, Bucharest
Attendance: 61,306
Referee: Andor Dorogi (Hungary)

- / Masopust 8' Bubník 45'

Second leg

1960-03-27 Austria – France 2-4, Praterstadion, Vienna
Attendance: 39,229
Referee: Leo Helge (Denmark)

Nemec 26' Probst 64' / Marcel 46' Rahis 59' Heutte 77' Kopa 83' (pen.)

France won 9–4 on aggregate.

1960-05-22 Yugoslavia – Portugal 5-1, Stadion JNA, Belgrade
Attendance: 43,000
Referee: Alfred Stoll (Austria)

Šekularac 8' Čebinac 45' Kostić 50' 88' Galić 79' / Cavém 29'

Yugoslavia won 6–3 on aggregate.

1960-05-29 Czechoslovakia – Romania 3-0 Tehelné pole, Bratislava
Attendance: 31,057
Referee: Leif Gulliksen (Norway)

Buberník 1' 15' Bubník 18'

Czechoslovakia won 5–0 on aggregate.

Final tournament

1960 European Nations' Cup finalists : Czechoslovakia, USSR, Yugoslavia, France

Semi-finals

1960-07-06 France -Yugoslavia 4 – 5, Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 26,370
Referee: Gaston Grandain (Belgium)

Vincent 12' Heutte 43' 62' Wisnieski 53' / Galic 11' Zanetic 55' Knez 75' Jerkovic 78' 79'

1960-07-06 Czechoslovakia - USSR 0 – 3, Vélodrome, Marseille
Attendance: 25,184
Referee: Cesare Jonni (Italy)

- / Ivanov 34' 56' Ponedelnik 66'

Third place play-off

1960-07-09 Czechoslovakia France 2 – 0, Vélodrome, Marseille
Attendance: 9,438
Referee: Cesare Jonni (Italy)

Bubník 58' Pavlovič 88'

Final

1960-07-10 USSR (a.e.t.) - Yugoslavia 2 – 1, Parc des Princes, Paris
Attendance: 17,966
Referee: Arthur Edward Ellis (England)

Metreveli 49' Ponedelnik 113'/Galic 43'

Euro 1960 Champions - USSR